Earth and You - a Closer View Book

A group of Japanese educators, publishers and businesspeople had a vision: to show children through poetry and art that everything in nature is connected, and that they too are connected with nature. They engaged a highly talented American author and illustrator, and this is the result. First published in Japanese, Earth & You introduces Earth s major features (the oceans, mountains, deserts and so on) and links them to each other and to the human community. This book not only teaches, but testifies to the wonders of a connected world. It is the first of three books celebrating the human relation with nature s features, nature's creatures, and nature's past and future.

Author Biography : For 30 years J. Patrick Lewis was a college professor, teaching economics. Now he plays with words and hangs out with kids at elementary schools. He is out to prove that "poetry is ear candy," and to inspire a simpatico connection with the natural wonders that surround us. "If there is a better way to spend a lifetime," he says, "I can't imagine what it would be." This is his first book with Dawn Publications.

(Illustrator): Christopher Canyon is irrepressibly playful as well as passionate about illustrating children's picture books. He teaches illustration at the Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus Ohio, is a frequent speaker at professional events, and his illustrations have been displayed in several national exhibitions. But his favorite audience is children and he makes a point of visiting schools often. Two of his previous books for Dawn Publications, The Tree in the Ancient Forest and Stickeen: John Muir and the Brave Little Dog, won the Benjamin Franklin Award as best illustrated children's books of the year. He is also the illustrator of Wonderful Nature, Wonderful You, and the beautiful new Dawn release, Earth & You - A Closer View: Nature's Features.

Judy O'Malley

Connections are at the heart of Earth and You: A Closer View. J. Patrick Lewis' vivid imagery and gentle cadences bond the reader to each element of our world and underscore the unity in nature by moving rhythmically from Earth to sky, to sea, to land, and, ultimately, returning to our roles—not just as observers, but as participants in the communities of towns and schools. Christopher Canyon's art echoes this flow of energy with vibrantly colored paintings that capture the delicacy of sea foam and the power of the wind under an eagle's wings. The overall sense of the immediacy of the natural world achieved by this synergy of word and art will open young readers readers' hearts to the lessons the Earth whispers.